Desert Oud - Cologne for Men by John Biebel (Fragrantica)

Desert Oud

Desert Oud is the most woody of the perfumes from Habibi, a fragrance that has a feeling of familiarity when it's sprayed on. It is an airy wood: not quite a driftwood sensation, but one of wood mixing with a breeze, like a campfire the next day, long after the embers have settled down and grown cold.

It is also a floral wood, with flashes of jasmine and tuberose definitely present. You can detect a sweet peach at the opening. Speaking of openings, this one is very bright and luminous, starting in with a bold mixture of citruses. There is no heavy oud here, much more aspirated and airy, something that is well suited to autumn. It’s also backed with a gentle rose which is quite beautiful and subtle.

Over the day the fragrance fades to a dusty Virginia cedar, a very sublime "pencil shavings" cedar.

As oud perfumes go, this treats oud in the desert setting as the sands are at night, when it is cooler and the winds are blowing gently.